Flight from Death
by Chausten
Summary: YGOHP. He needed a weapon-something he didn't have the last time. After all, who could stop the man who controls the three Egyptian gods? Only one person. And he's dead. AxA, YxA. DISCONTINUED.
1. Prologue

**Title:** Flight from Death  
**Author:** Chausten  
**Rating:** PG/K+ _(subject to change)_  
**Genre:** General  
**Pairing(s):** (Note that "Romance" is not in the genres.) HP: All canon is fair game; YGO: Revolutionshipping (Atemu/Anzu), Peachshipping (Yuugi/Anzu)  
**Spoilers:** HP: SS/PS-GoF; YGO: Nothing major. Possible S0 spoilers, slight reference to _GX_ ep. 85. Some references to TAS.  
**Timeline:** HP: Fifth year (AU); YGO: Ten years post-series (AU)  
**Summary:** In Harry's fifth year, Hogwarts hosts another strange Defense professor, while Voldemort puts his latest plan into action. Who could stop the man who controls the three Egyptian gods? Only one person. And he's dead.

**Disclaimer:** _Yu-Gi-Oh!_ is copyright Kazuki Takahashi and others holding ownership rights. Certain references (sly grin) are also property of LittleKuriboh, creator of _Yu-Gi-Oh: The Abridged Series_, the sole reason I began watching _Yu-Gi-Oh!_ _Harry Potter_ is copyright J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Publishing, Scholastic Books, and others holding ownership rights.

**Author's Notes:** My YGO 'verse has a lot of Western flavorings since I've seen more dubbed episodes, but I try to stay closer to the Japanese anime where possible. I don't know the Japanese system of honorifics well enough to write it, so don't call me on that, please.

The story kicks off with a reference to an episode of _GX_, #85, but I've tried not to make it a major spoiler. If you're confused, please say so in a review and I'll try to work in a better explanation.

I am much more well versed in HP canon, but this is not an all-or-nothing story; never fear, you won't be stuck with just one flavor. I could never abandon Harry & Co., but you will also have your share of YGO. ;) (BTW, if you see something YGO- (or HP-) related that is way off the mark, please let me know. Harry & Co. are in their fifth year, so obviously it's AU. Technically this would be _GX_ timeline for YGO, but I did some minor tweaking with characters (not to mention the fact that none of them ever go to Hogwarts), so it's also AU. Just how AU? You'll find out!

**Warnings before you read:**  
1) If you don't like Anzu, stop reading now.  
2) If you are anti- Revolutionshipping or Peachshipping, stop reading now.  
3) If you are looking for dueling, you have come to the wrong place.  
4) If you are looking for a romance story, you have also come to the wrong place. There IS romance and definite romantic pairings, but the plot is not based solely around them.

**Originally posted:** 4/20/08  
**Edits:** 9/10/08

**FLIGHT FROM DEATH**  
by Chausten

**Prologue**

Anzu Mazaki stared out the window of the bright penthouse apartment and drew her knees up to her chest. It was a beautiful spring day; the windows had been pulled open to let in some fresh air, and normally she would have been outside, maybe in the park, maybe having a snack outside at one of her favorite little restaurants; but today she was lingering inside, waiting.

"…will _not_ calm down!" came a voice from the other room. Anzu cringed. Yuugi was rarely this angry, and almost never raised his voice even when he was, so this was bad. "You lied to me, first of all; second of all, you've—_what?_"

Oh, God, now what? Anzu wondered if it would be possible to just creep out of the apartment without him noticing, but that was unlikely.

There was a long silence as Yuugi listened, then he said, "Pegasus, I swear, the next time I see you, you and I are going to have a talk. No, don't bother," he snapped. "I'll see you tomorrow. In _my_ office." She heard the phone slam back into the cradle and took a deep breath, mentally counting to ten before she uncurled her legs and turned to face him. Time for some damage control.

"Hey," she said. "So…I take it that didn't go well." She mentally slapped herself at the look he shot her. "Gomen," she apologized hastily. "I just overheard some of your conversation, and I know you're upset about all this, but—"

He sighed and slumped into a nearby chair, scrubbing at his face with his hands. "It's not just that. Pegasus just got a call from some stranger. Apparently this card business has made much bigger news than either of us had anticipated. The man offered Pegasus an absolutely obscene amount of money, British pounds, cash, for the card, and said he would pay as much for the two others."

Anzu's eyes widened. "Then he didn't know?"

"Apparently not. Well, Pegasus refused, but I don't know whether or not he told the man that it was merely a copy card."

Anzu shook her head and looked down at the card still in Yuugi's hand. "What do you think he wanted with it? With them?"

Yuugi shrugged. "Probably to put them in little plastic cases and mount them on his shelves," he said, distaste in his voice. "I'm sorry," he added suddenly. "This really isn't the best start to a marriage, is it? I promised myself I wouldn't bring too much business home."

"This wasn't exactly your fault," she said, smiling at his concern. "It's a little reminiscent of the old days, anyway, don't you think?"

"Maybe a little too reminiscent," he muttered.

Anzu looked down at the golden figure of the Winged Dragon of Ra. She could almost swear she could still feel a dark, foreboding presence lurking just out of reach, and hear his voice in her mind.

_"Remember my name…"_

**-X-**

"Your name, sir?"

Emily was slightly taken aback by the cold look the man gave her, but she didn't back down. "Your name?" she repeated, more firmly this time.

"My name is Lucius Malfoy," the man said, obvious disdain in his voice. "I wish to see Mr. Mutou."

"Do you have an appointment?"

"No." His tone made it quite clear that he was a man rather used to being welcomed anywhere, anytime, appointment or no.

"Well then, how about…" Emily checked her schedule, "next Tuesday? Nine o'clock?"

Lucius Malfoy curled his lip. "No, I think I'll be seeing him now, if you don't mind."

"I'm sorry, sir, I can't just—"

The last thing Emily Carmichael remembered was a strange-looking stick the man pulled from his pocket, and a flash of bright green light.

**-X-**

"I take it you are Yuugi Mutou."

Pegasus stopped in his tracks and turned to see a man with long, pale blond hair standing in the reception room. He was dressed all in black, a rather odd choice for the spring, but what caught Pegasus's attention was his secretary slumped over her desk.

"Emily!" He started towards her, but the man gave a dark laugh and held up what looked like a long stick, pointing it at his chest.

"Don't bother. You'll need to be getting some new help, Mr. Mutou; I'm afraid this one has just…_died_ from exhaustion."

"Who are you?" Pegasus demanded. "What do you want?"

"Ah, of course, I forgot to introduce myself." The man smirked. "I am Lucius Malfoy."

"Well, then, perhaps I should introduce myself as well," Pegasus said, "since you seem to have me confused with someone else." Also odd, he thought, considering that his business partner was one of the most famous men in the world. Well, he amended to himself, perhaps only in the gaming world. "I'm Pegasus Crawford."

Lucius's eyes narrowed. "In that case, where is Yuugi Mutou?"

"I have no idea," Pegasus said, although he was certain Yuugi must be on his way there. He didn't think that giving this stranger any more information about Yuugi was the best idea at the moment.

"Then when will he be here today?" Lucius pressed.

"I don't make a habit of keeping track of Mr. Mutou's personal schedule," Pegasus replied tartly. "If you're so eager to see him, why don't you make an appointment? Better yet, I'll make one for you." He reached for the phone on Emily's desk. "With the police."

Fire flashed in Lucius Malfoy's eyes. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, Muggle." He raised the stick.

"All right, Pegasus, let's—What the—?" Yuugi walked in and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw what was going on. "What's going on here?" he demanded, grabbing Lucius's arm. "Who are you?"

"Someone who belongs in jail," Pegasus said darkly, preparing to dial.

"That's enough from you! _Avad—_"

He was stopped abruptly by someone reaching out and deftly plucking the wand from his hand.

"Now, Pegasus, you were saying?" Yuugi said, stepping out of Lucius's reach.

"Filthy Muggle, you give that back to me!" He lunged for the wand, knocking them both over. In the ensuing struggle there were several loud bangs and a shower of sparks went off, and the two broke apart, panting. Dropping the phone, Pegasus ran over to help his friend up.

"Are you okay, Yuugi?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Yuugi said a little shakily. Lucius had managed to reclaim the wand and was aiming it at them again, but he froze when he heard the name.

"Yuugi?" he repeated. "Then you are Yuugi Mutou?"

Yuugi looked from Lucius to Pegasus and back again. "Yes," he said slowly. He straightened slightly. "I take it I'm the one you've come to see, then."

"You are." Lucius glared at the room's third occupant. "I have _not_, however, come to see you. _Avada Kedavra!_"

Yuugi let out a cry at the flash of light, and when it faded realized he was standing alone. He looked around, confused, and then saw his associate lying on the ground.

"Pegasus!" He dropped to his knees. "What did you do to him?"

"If you can't tell, you're more of an idiot than they say you are," Lucius sneered. "Now get up before I do the same to you."

Slowly, glaring, Yuugi rose to his feet. "What do you want with me?"

"I understand that you are the reigning champion of a game called Duel Monsters, and have been for over ten years now."

"Yes."

"Ten years ago, at a tournament in Japan, three of the most powerful cards in this game of yours appeared. They have not been seen since."

The God Cards, Yuugi realized.

"If this is about the Egyptian God Cards, they're gone. Destroyed. They caused too many problems—like this. Apparently even when they're gone they cause problems," he said bitterly, more to himself.

Lucius ignored him and continued: "Just last week a copy of one of these cards appeared at a tournament at a school of dueling."

Yuugi's eyes widened. "You're the one who tried to buy it!"

"I hear very strange things about these cards, Mr. Mutou."

"What kinds of things?" Yuugi asked coldly.

"Such as the originals were said to possess the spirits of the gods themselves. That the holder would possess unlimited power." His eyes narrowed. "And that you possess all three."

"I did," Yuugi said. "But like I said, I destroyed them."

"Then where did such an exact copy come from? Rather suspicious, isn't it, that the most exact copy of these rare cards comes from your company?"

"I had no knowledge of the making of these cards," Yuugi said. "If I had, I would have put a stop to it at once. They're nothing but trouble. If you want my advice, you'll leave them in peace."

"Ah, so perhaps they aren't as 'destroyed' as all that?" Lucius guessed. "Perhaps you have, after all, stored them away somewhere?"

"Nowhere you nor I nor any other mortal creature shall ever find them," Yuugi said. "Now that you've learned all you came to learn, and killed two innocent people for it, I think we're through."

"I beg to differ. I have not learned all I came to learn. You say you have hidden the cards and no mortal shall ever find them; say I should know someone who is _not_ mortal. Tell me then, where might I find these cards?"

Yuugi paled slightly. "Who do you know who's immortal?" How many people out there had gained immortality?

"That's none of your business," Lucius answered, obviously enjoying withholding the information. "Tell me where the cards are."

"Why should I?"

The smile disappeared, and a dark look replaced it. "Because if you do not, I can make you regret it…_very_ much."

Yuugi's thoughts instantly skipped to Anzu…Jounouchi…Honda…which of his friends would they choose this time?

"All right," he said at last. "I keep the cards in my safe at the bank."

Lucius broke into another sinister smile. "There, you see? That wasn't so difficult. Take me there now and no one else need be hurt."

Nodding slowly, with a last glance at the two figures in the room, Yuugi led Lucius Malfoy back downstairs and out of the building. He glanced around and took a deep breath.

Whoever this man was, he had no idea who he was playing with. Yuugi had not won the title "Yuugiou" sitting behind a desk.

He tried not to remember that it had not been he, officially, who had won that title at all.

**-X-**

It had been Mad-Eye Moody who had informed him of the incident. When Dumbledore reached the bank, Ministry officials were already swarming the place performing Memory Charms on all the Muggles, questioning the few wizards and witches who had been present at the time. Two men had entered, one identified later as Lucius Malfoy, one a Muggle; they had gone towards the counter, and after that everything had erupted. The Muggle had made a dash for the door, but it was only then that Malfoy had tried to kill him. Whatever had brought them there together, Malfoy had obviously needed the Muggle for it. But why was he expendable after he'd tried running, and not before? Surely they had come to gain access to something in this bank; if that was so, he was much more useful alive than dead. They could easily penetrate the Muggle security here, but it was more a matter of time. If the Death Eaters were after something in the man's vault, it would have been just as easy to put him under the Imperius Curse, or at the very least torture the information out of him.

None of the wizards could identify the Muggle man who had escaped, and if any of the other Muggles had known, their memories of the incident were gone now.

Dumbledore stroked his long beard thoughtfully. One of the Ministry officials approached him.

"Professor Dumbledore. We have it all under control, sir. We still don't know what that nasty bugger was after, though. We're trying to find out who that man was now."

"Perhaps," Dumbledore said, "if you had questioned some of the Muggle witnesses first, instead of wiping their memories…"

"Ah. Yes, well, we just wanted to make sure they remembered as little as possible…if the Memory Charm was broken, you know…"

"Of course." Dumbledore gave a slight smile. "But now we may never know, will we? I will do my best in helping you, however."

"Excuse me," a small voice said. They both looked around to see a small boy standing there, clutching his backpack to his chest. "I'm sorry, sirs, but I couldn't help overhearing…you're looking for the man that scary guy was here with today?"

"Yes." The Ministry official looked surprised. "Do you remember them?" He was obviously worried he had missed someone.

"Yeah, I saw them walking in. I noticed because," he blushed, "he's really famous, you know." The two men exchanged a look. "Yeah, I—I know a lot about him."

"Who is he?" the Ministry worker asked, excitement seeping into his voice.

The boy broke into a smile. "He's the best duelist in the world," he said. "Yuugi Mutou."

**-X-X-X-**

_So like I said, this is just a teaser/sample for now and is definitely subject to change as I write more. _Please_ let me know what you think. I hope this has been a long enough preview for you to get some idea of my style and maybe where the plot might be going—but I won't tell! -C_


	2. Chapter 1: Fun and Games

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Yu-Gi-Oh!_ or _Harry Potter_. For full disclaimer and notes, see part one.

**Author's Note:** I should probably say that I like Jounouchi's character much better than Joey's, but I'm still a little shaky on Jounouchi's characterization, so he may be a little OOC. (I do not intend for this to be one of the fics where all of the dubbed characters have simply been given their Japanese counterpart's name.)

Thanks for your patience, everyone, and a big thanks to all my last reviewers. Check my bio for updates and other random babble.

**Originally posted:** 9/10/08

**Chapter 1: Fun and Games**

Had you asked Anzu afterwards where everything truly began, she might have said it was the day she and Yuugi first found out about the copies Industrial Illusions had been making of the God Cards.

Or she might have said it was the day, not long after, when she had received the nearly incoherent phone call from him telling her that Pegasus was dead.

Or maybe even that evening, when she had returned to find the apartment empty, and a brief message on the answering machine her only explanation.

But in truth, she came to realize, it had begun long ago, not five or ten years, but three thousand.

_It was all _his_ fault._

**-X-**

"At a Muggle bank?"

"Yes, My Lord; that's where he said he was keeping them. We can easily go in and—"

The figure hidden proverbially in the chair held up one long finger to stop him. "Did it never occur to you, Malfoy, that the man might be leading you on? Tricking you? I doubt he would hand those cards over quite as easily as that."

"He is a Muggle, My Lord. I doubt he has any idea of their true power."

"No?" Lord Voldemort rose and went to stand by the fire. The snake, curled on the rug, lifted her head at his approach. "I don't believe him to be any ordinary Muggle, Lucius. You said yourself that he played them in this game. I have heard some of the most extraordinary tales about him as I was studying it." He stared into the flames. "No, I believe those cards are much further away than any bank in America. You underestimate him, Lucius. He is a master strategist, Muggle or not." He folded his hands thoughtfully behind his back. "Perhaps," he said, "it would be best to simply leave our Mr. Mutou alone for a bit. If I'm right, that fool Dumbledore will come poking his nose in soon enough, and they may lead us to these cards all on their own."

**-X-**

The Order of the Phoenix was once again assembled in number twelve, Grimmauld Place. The atmosphere was considerably more somber than usual.

The first and most important matter of business was, of course, the attack on Harry Potter in Little Whinging. Dementors did not randomly turn up in the Muggle world, let alone in the neighborhood of the most famous young wizard ever. Now, however, came the difficulty of finding out how they had gotten there, and dealing with the more immediate problem of Harry's hearing. They were all worried about the matter: Though he had done nothing wrong, the Minister seemed determined to find any and every reason to discredit the Wizarding world's former golden boy, lest they believe his claims about Lord Voldemort's return.

"But as long as he gets a fair trial," Arthur Weasley pointed out, "there's no way they can expel him."

"That's the operative word, Arthur," Lupin said heavily. "_Fair._ And we can't be certain who will be questioning him. We can only hope that it _will_ be someone fair."

They had all determined to keep these misgivings to themselves, opting to keep the atmosphere as positive as possible. Harry certainly had enough on his mind already.

"We _will_ need to reschedule the watches," Molly said, after a short pause. She glanced quickly at Dumbledore, sitting at the head of the table. They had all been a little shocked at his reaction to the news of Mundungus Fletcher's departure. His rather odd nature could make you forget that this was one of the greatest wizards, if not the greatest, of their age—the only wizard Voldemort had ever feared.

"We shall be going for him in just a few days," said Dumbledore, "but until then, if you could take over the first half, Remus, and you could take the second Tonks, I think we'll be all right."

"The next thing," Arthur Weasley said, straightening a little. "This." He smoothed out some papers in front of him. "We've discovered some things about Yuugi Mutou. He's very famous, as you said, at least in the Muggle world. It wasn't difficult to find information once we knew where to look."

"And what have you found?" Dumbledore sat forward slightly.

"After you told us where he lived, we staked the place out for a few days, but we never saw him coming or going."

"No," Dumbledore said, "I didn't expect that he would go back there."

"We ought to focus more on finding those cards, anyway," growled Mad-Eye Moody. "Leave the kid to himself."

"Now, now, Alastor," Dumbledore chided gently. "We cannot lose sight of what's important simply to look at the big picture. He is a target of Lord Voldemort."

"So am I," Moody said. "But I wouldn't want you chasing after me when you ought to be focusing on stopping Voldemort."

"They could very well be one and the same, in this case," Dumbledore said patiently. "Now, Arthur, you were saying?"

Arthur cleared his throat. "Right. Well, yes. He's from Japan, originally. He is currently co-owner of the company which created the game and still produces all the cards, both Japanese and English."

"He made the Egyptian God Cards?" Sirius asked sharply.

Arthur shook his head. "Apparently not. Those cards were created years ago, when Mutou was just a child. At the time a man named Pegasus J. Crawford was sole owner of the company—he's co-owner now, or should I say was, because it appears the Death Eaters got to him." Around the room, faces fell in disappointment.

"Mutou did at one time possess all three cards," Arthur went on. "He won them about ten years ago at a tournament in Japan. He used them a few times after that, but they haven't been seen since. He says they're too powerful. It seems they're something of a legend now; some people say he lost them, some people say they were a hoax in the first place." Arthur shrugged. "That's the last time they were seen."

"Besides Yuugi Mutou and this Pegasus Crawford, is there anyone else who has owned them?" Dumbledore asked.

"Two people." Arthur checked his notes. "Seto Kaiba, apparently some big businessman in Japan; and someone named Malik Ishtar. Both of them competed in that same tournament; that was how Mutou won them. Actually, it was Mr. Kaiba's tournament," Arthur added, looking at his papers again.

"Where are they now?" Dumbledore asked.

"Kaiba is in Japan. He's the CEO of a company there. Ishtar we didn't find much on. Something very odd went on with him at that tournament, but it was all covered up. We're still looking."

"Well, it might be worth a visit to Mr. Kaiba, to see what he can tell us," Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "Do you know where in Japan this company of his is?"

Arthur nodded. "I have the address right here."

**-X-**

Anzu sat at the kitchen table, trying not to look at the answering machine again. She had tried to delete the message, but she hadn't been able to. Intending instead to forget it, she had sat down to dinner, but now she was only stirring her soup listlessly and pretending not to glance at the machine every ten seconds.

Dropping her spoon, she got up and hit the button to play messages.

_"You have one old message,"_ the machine told her.

"I know that," Anzu muttered.

_"Anzu, it's me. Look, I—I'm not going to be coming home today. Everything's fine, I promise—okay, not fine, but I'm okay. I can't tell you anything else now; I think I'm being watched. I'll call you when I can. I—I'll call you, okay? I promise, everything's going to be okay."_

She stabbed the Delete button viciously, and the machine beeped and announced that she currently had no messages.

Anzu dumped her soup down the sink and left her dishes there. Yuugi had said he was being watched. Did that mean she was being watched as well? She wasn't sure, so she had been staying inside, slowly eating all the food in the house. She'd kept hoping Yuugi would call, or better yet, come back, and relieve her from this horrible state of uncertainty.

But as the days had passed, she'd felt increasingly stifled inside, until she thought she might go insane. Maybe no one was out there. Maybe someone was.

But anything was better than staying here.

She dragged out her luggage and began throwing things in haphazardly, not bothering to organize them or even fold her clothes. If she'd forgotten something, she'd have to buy it. If she was lucky, Shizuka might keep a few spare things there for when she stayed over.

Still tossing in random items, she snatched the phone off the bedside table and dialed.

"Hello," said a heavily accented voice.

"Jounouchi, it's me, Anzu," she replied in Japanese, trying to sound relatively calm.

"Anzu?" he said, obviously surprised. "How are you? How's—"

"I need your help," she said, throwing the façade to the wind. "Can I stay with you for…awhile?"

"What? Are you okay? What's going on? Did you and Yuugi have—"

"It's complicated. Can I stay?" She realized she sounded desperate, but she _was_ desperate. "_Please_, Jounouchi? It's really important."

"Well…sure. But you have to tell me what's going on. I mean, if you're hurt or—"

"I'm fine. I'm fine," she repeated, half to herself this time. She bit her lip. She couldn't ask him to come and get her—even if he'd had that kind of time, he was almost as famous as Yuugi was. If anyone really was out there, there was a much greater chance that they would recognize him than her.

Anzu set the suitcase down. She'd have to take her chances and hope for the best. She could always go shopping. She needed some new clothes, anyway.

"I'll be there as soon as possible," she finally said. "If, uh…if I'm not there in—"

"Anzu, what the hell is going on over there?"

"I'll see you in a bit," she said, trying to force herself not to sound too panicked.

"Anz—"

She hung up.

She could practically picture Jounouchi on the other end of the line, seething in a mixture of frustration, anger, and fear. But she couldn't do anything about it now, and she would explain everything—everything she could, at least—when she got there.

Anzu tried to act as nonchalant as possible as she left the building, forcing herself not to look around but focus ahead. No one she saw looked especially suspicious—but then you could never tell in New York.

Several years ago Jounouchi had taken an apartment in Brooklyn with the idea that he could be closer to Yuugi and also have somewhere to stay for tournaments in America besides Yuugi's couch. Anzu still wasn't sure why; although Duel Monsters's popularity in America had caught on quickly after Yuugi's move, the Japanese tournaments still attracted all of the best and most serious duelists.

On the subway, she started to grow a little paranoid, wondering if the people next to her were somehow connected to Yuugi's disappearance and had now come back for her. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched, but of course she ha no way of knowing. Was she putting Jounouchi in danger, too?

Even when Jounouchi let her in, a feeling of unease still nagged at the back of her mind. She brushed it away.

"Anzu." Jounouchi glared at her. "Don't ever do that to me again. What the hell is going on? Where's Yuugi? What happened?"

Anzu sank into the nearest chair. "Do you think I could have a glass of water, please?"

He went to the kitchen and returned a moment later. Pushing the glass into her hands, he asked again, "Well? What happened?"

She took a few moments to sip from the glass and try to collect her scattered thoughts.

"Yuugi," she began haltingly. "Yuugi's in trouble. He left a few days ago, just after the attack on Industrial Illusions. I don't know where he went; he left a message on the machine and that's the last I've heard from him."

"Just after—? But I called you as soon as I heard. You told me everything was fine!"

Anzu winced. "I didn't want you to worry. I didn't—still don't—know when he's going to be back, and I didn't want to upset you."

"Baka." He glared. "Do you think I wouldn't have cared?"

"Of course not," she said, upset. "It's just—"

"You'd have wanted to know, if you were me."

She looked into her glass. "I'm sorry."

"Fine. So Yuugi's disappeared, Industrial Illusions is up in flames, and you're…what? Why the sudden change of heart, huh?"

"I don't know…" She filled him in quickly on the copy cards. "That must be what they were there for, after Pegasus wouldn't sell. But I don't know why Yuugi thinks he has to leave…I don't get any of it."

"Those cards were always trouble," he said darkly. "Don't think about that right now. We need to focus on finding Yuugi."

"He said he'd call when he could."

"Typical." Jounouchi began to pace. "What else do you know about these copies? Were they the only ones?"

"I don't know," she answered. "Yuugi didn't even know Pegasus was making them. He was furious when he found out."

"Big surprise there." He paused a moment. "Where are the real cards, anyway? As a matter of interest."

Anzu looked slightly surprised. "He took them. When he left. Atemu."

"Did he?" Jounouchi frowned. "I don't remember him having any cards with him when he left."

"Well—" But she stopped. Come to think of it…she didn't, either. She replayed that day in her mind again. In the intervening years she had already been over it hundreds of times. But…in all those years, she had never paid attention to his deck. One minute, he'd had the Disk on his arm, and then…it had been gone.

"He must have sent the cards ahead, or…something." Could he really have done that? Did it work like that?

"So there's no chance of a repeat of Battle City." It was a statement, but he raised one eyebrow slightly, questioning her, and she knew he was thinking of his own less-than-pleasant experience with a faked God Card.

"I…guess not," she said, not at all certain herself. She had never entirely understood the ancient and intricate powers of those cards, and wished more than ever that Yuugi were here.

As if responding to her thoughts, her cell phone trilled in her purse, making her jump. She dove for it, and when she saw the number, she could hardly pick it up fast enough.

"Yuugi?" she cried. "Where the hell are you?" She glanced at Jounouchi, who had straightened at once when he heard his friend's name. She could see him leaning forward, eager to speak, but he had his head turned politely away, pretending to be interested in something else. For all the trouble he had made in school when he was younger, Jounouchi did not have a very good poker face.

"I can't really talk now," Yuugi said. "I just wanted to call and let you know I'm all right."

"Thanks for the courtesy," she said sarcastically.

"I'm sorry," he said, and she could practically see the pained expression on his face. "I'll be back—I'm not sure when, but I promise I'll be back. I just need to see some people first."

"But—"

"I have to go. I'll call you again."

"What about the—"

"Everything's fine. I'll call, I promise." And with that he disconnected. She stared at the phone for a moment before finally shoving it back into her purse with a small noise of frustration and disgust.

Call her later, would he? And what was she supposed to do while he was off seeing these people? For being so smart, sometimes Yuugi could be extremely stupid. She did not want to sit here uselessly and wait for news whenever he managed to get around to it.

"Bad news?" Jounouchi guessed as she turned back to face him. He put up his hands in self-defense at the look she shot him. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop, really! But it's kind of hard, you know, sitting right here."

Anzu thought momentarily about shouting at him—letting out all her pent-up anger on him—but then it all seemed to drain away, and she slumped back into the chair, rubbing her eyes.

"It's okay," she mumbled. Sighing, she continued, eyes still closed, "He just said he'd call again. I don't know where he is, or what's going on…he said he was fine, but what does 'fine' mean? He could be 'fine' now, but does that mean he was fine yesterday? Will he be fine tomorrow?" She groaned. "I hate him!" she suddenly exclaimed, opening her eyes and standing up so fast Jounouchi had to grab her arm to keep her from falling.

"Calm down," he said, pushing her back into the chair. "Why don't you rest for a little bit and then—"

"I don't _want_ to rest!" she shouted, though she didn't try to get up again. She glared up at him. "I don't want to just sit here! I want to _do_ something!"

He crossed his arms. "And what do you suggest we do, Anzu? Run out into the street and start calling his name?" Seeing her stricken look, he knelt beside her and tried to make his voice gentler when he said, "What else did he say? Did he say anything about where he was going, or what he was doing?"

She shook her head. "No…just that…just that he needed to see some people."

"Some people?" Jounouchi looked troubled. "Who would he need to see now? The only people who would know more about the Egyptian God Cards than him…"

Anzu blinked once, uncomprehending, then he saw it dawn in her eyes as well.

"Are you sure those cards are gone?" Jounouchi asked.

"They can't still be here," she said. "We would know, as soon as someone played a fake. Malik once said that the Ra copies he'd had the Rare Hunters making killed dozens of them before he had a perfect one…well, he thought it was perfect, anyway."

Jounouchi muttered something under his breath, then said aloud, "If you say so. But now we at least have somewhere to start looking."

"We have to hurry," she said, standing more carefully this time. "Whoever else is looking for him could be putting these pieces together, too."

Yuugi, you'd better be alive when I find you, she thought. She wanted the pleasure of strangling him all to herself.

**-X-**

"Pegasus, dead?"

Yuugi nodded. "Some man…I don't even know who it was. He wanted the God Cards. He knew that I'd had them—but he didn't really seem to know…" he trailed off and frowned, trying to think of how to phrase it, "…anything about _me_." The man had seemed to know enough about the cards, but he hadn't really seemed to believe that Yuugi, for all he had won them and dueled with them, would understand their value. Perhaps he assumed that Yuugi had merely been playing a _game_…

…in which case, he certainly had no concept of the God Cards or their power.

Breaking into his thoughts, Isis said, "What did you tell him? About the cards?"

"Nothing. I lied and escaped. I don't know if he still believes me, or if he's found out—he probably knows by now that the cards aren't where I told him they were. But it doesn't matter. I had to come talk to you."

"What about Anzu?"

He looked down. "I called her. I think she's all right, for now. The man didn't even recognize me; I think she'll be safe for a little while. But I didn't want to go back there; I was afraid someone would follow me, and then she really would be in danger."

"Would you like me to go and stay with her?" Isis asked.

"No, but thank you. I need to ask you something, and it's very important." He took a deep breath. "I need to know if there's any way someone could _truly_ resurrect those cards, not just copy them—and what would happen if they did."

Isis blinked. "Well…the temple collapsed," she said gently.

"_I_ know that," he said. "Isis, there's something you should know." Haltingly, he explained what he could about the visit from the pale-haired man and his demand to be taken to the cards.

"What happens when he finds out?" he said, shaking his head. "He must have believed the three counterfeits we—or I should say Pegasus—produced were genuine, because he tried to buy them earlier. Thankfully Pegasus refused to sell, and now I don't know where he thinks the real ones are. Maybe he's even figured out they don't exist anymore."

"Does it really matter either way? He'll never find the real ones," Isis said sensibly. "Exactly how good are these copies, anyway?" she asked guardedly.

"I never actually saw them used," Yuugi said slowly, "but I hear they were…good." He grimaced. "Our top designer got ahold of Ra and went on a rampage with it on Kaiba's island—where he built that school." Isis's eyes widened slightly.

"I heard there was some kind of incident there recently during his tournament. I didn't know it was…Are they good enough to pose a threat?"

"Well, there were injuries."

Isis bit her lip. "What kind of injuries?"

"None like—before." He gave her a significant look, and saw that she understood that by "before" he meant "Battle City." "I'm still worried, though. The gods may be gone, but I still feel like we're…taunting them." He shook his head.

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

"What am I supposed to do?" Yuugi began to pace. "I went back for the counterfeit cards—I've destroyed them. I don't know what that man intended to do with them, but he was ready to kill people for it." He sighed and scrubbed at his face. "I suppose I'll have to go back to Japan eventually."

"You're free to stay here as long as you wish."

Yuugi nodded, and Isis rose.

Yuugi watched her leave before he reached into the case at his hip and pulled out three cards, fanning them in front of him.

"Who ever knew a children's card game could cause so much trouble?" he sighed.

**-X-X-X-**

_I'm so sorry for the long wait. I had this chapter completely finished and was ready to post, and at the last minute realized I had written something that made no sense at all, so I had to delete half of it and do a major rewrite. That means it's screwing up chapter two now as well, but I think it was worth it to have a chapter I'm happier with. I'm still not one hundred percent satisfied, but this is why we have reviews! If you've made it this far, please leave one; constructive criticism welcome, no flames. -C_


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